Which C.S. Lewis book began as a science-fiction trilogy’s first volume in 1938?

Out of the Silent Planet was the first volume of C.S. Lewis’s science-fiction trilogy, published in 1938.

The novel follows philologist Elwin Ransom after he is abducted and taken to Malacandra, a planet usually identified with Mars. There he encounters several intelligent species and gradually learns that the universe is morally ordered rather than dominated by the violent assumptions of his captors.

The book was followed by Perelandra in 1943 and That Hideous Strength in 1945. Together, the three novels are often called the Space Trilogy or the Ransom Trilogy, after their protagonist. The series blends planetary adventure with theology, language, ethics, and ideas about modern science.

A common mistake is to identify Perelandra as the trilogy’s opening novel because its title is prominent in discussions of the sequence. Out of the Silent Planet is the first published installment and introduces Ransom.